This event is not organised by Nangten Menlang International. For booking, please contact buddha.cph@gmail.com
Phowa, the Yoga of Transference, is a Tibetan Buddhist practice that teaches how to consciously guide the mind during death, the intermediate state (Bardo), and rebirth. The main purpose of Phowa is to learn how to direct consciousness during these powerful transitions. Instead of being carried away by fear or confusion, death becomes a moment we can work with and use for transformation.
The essential meaning of Phowa is the transfer of our three main disturbing emotions – ignorance, attachment, and anger – into the wisdom of the Three Buddha Bodies. At the time of death, ignorance is transferred into a non-conceptual state of mind, the Dharmakaya, or Truth Body. During the Bardo, attachment is transferred into a state of great bliss and clarity, the Sambhogakaya, or Enjoyment Body. At the time of rebirth, anger is transferred into clear awareness and compassionate expression, the Nirmanakaya, or Emanation Body. In this way, ignorance, attachment, and anger are transformed through transfer into non-conceptual awareness, great bliss, and clear light mind.
Phowa also teaches how to use death itself as support on the path. Samsara is compared to a vast ocean, and we are like swimmers moving within it. Death arises like a powerful wave. Without training, this wave can overwhelm us. Through Phowa, we learn how to move with the wave and use its force to carry us toward the land of nirvana. Death then becomes the vehicle that guides consciousness toward awakening.
In this retreat, Tulku Lobsang Rinpoche will explain Phowa with a strong focus on the principle of transfer. He will guide participants to understand how consciousness moves through death, Bardo, and rebirth, and how these stages relate to the Three Buddha Bodies. Through explanation and guided practice, participants will develop familiarity with Phowa and cultivate a calmer, more confident, and more conscious relationship with death – for themselves and for others.
